CVE-2015-2330 in WebkitGTK+
Summary
by MITRE
Late TLS certificate verification in WebKitGTK+ prior to 2.6.6 allows remote attackers to view a secure HTTP request, including, for example, secure cookies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2330 represents a critical security flaw in WebKitGTK+ versions prior to 2.6.6 that undermines the fundamental security assurances provided by Transport Layer Security protocols. This issue manifests as a timing attack vector where the certificate verification process occurs after the initial connection handshake, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to intercept and analyze secure communications. The flaw specifically affects the TLS implementation within the WebKitGTK+ rendering engine, which is widely used in various Linux desktop applications and web browsers that rely on this component for web content rendering.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper sequencing of security checks during the TLS connection establishment process. When a client establishes a secure connection to a server, the standard TLS protocol requires that certificate verification occur before any application-level data is transmitted. However, WebKitGTK+ versions before 2.6.6 implemented a flawed verification mechanism where the certificate validation process was delayed until after the connection was already established and data transmission had begun. This creates a race condition where attackers can observe network traffic during the brief period between connection establishment and certificate validation, potentially extracting sensitive information including secure cookies, authentication tokens, and other confidential data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally compromises the confidentiality assurances that users expect from secure web communications. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can perform man-in-the-middle attacks against HTTPS connections, particularly targeting scenarios where secure cookies are transmitted between web applications and servers. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a widely deployed web rendering engine used in numerous desktop applications and browsers, potentially exposing millions of users to data interception attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation and relates to ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers credential access through man-in-the-middle attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2330 require immediate patching of affected WebKitGTK+ installations to version 2.6.6 or later, which implements proper certificate verification timing. System administrators should also consider implementing additional network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations using WebKitGTK+ in custom applications should conduct thorough security assessments of their implementations and ensure that all dependencies are updated to versions that address this vulnerability. The fix implemented in version 2.6.6 ensures that certificate verification occurs during the initial TLS handshake process, eliminating the window of opportunity for attackers to intercept sensitive data during the connection establishment phase. This remediation aligns with industry best practices for TLS implementation and helps prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in future deployments.